Submersible pump

ABSTRACT

A replaceable motor module for a groundwater sampling device including an inner housing defined by a cylindrical shape and having a first alignment pin. A DC-operated electric motor is positionable within the inner housing, and includes a first set of electrical input terminals, an output shaft capable of downwardly extending through a sealed hole in the inner housing, and a first alignment groove for mating with the first alignment pin of the inner housing. An inner housing cap includes a second set of electrical input terminals and electrical output terminals, and is pressingly engageable with the inner housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional patent application of U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/826,589, filed Mar. 14,2013 and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety forall purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to sampling devices and pumps for thegathering or recovery of liquid samples from groundwater or other liquidbodies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Submersible pumps, supported by electrical leads and one or moreconduits for fluid flow, may be descended into a pre-established well orother water source. The electrical leads provide a means to control thesubmersible pump, and the liquid conduit provides means to transfer theliquid from the source to the surface for removal or further analysis. Asubmersible pump of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,584,785 toIntelisano, the contents of which patent are hereby incorporated byreference.

One known use of submersible pumps is the testing for, and removal of,contaminants found in liquid bodies. The removal of subsurfacecontaminants that exist in aquifers and other water sources remains ahigh national priority. Contaminants of concern span various man-madevolatile organic compounds such as chlorinated hydrocarbons andchlorinated olefins (i.e., tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, cis1,2-dichloroethane and vinyl chloride). Other compounds of interestinclude, e.g., aromatic or polyaromatic ring compounds such as benzene,toluene, methylbenzene, xylenes, and naphthalene.

Submersible pumps are subject to potential mechanical failure due todesign inefficiencies (e.g., overheating failures related to aninability to effectively dissipate pump heat generation), as well as dueto the harsh environmental conditions encountered in subterraneanatmospheres (e.g., system strain due to significant turbidity).Maintenance or replacement of the submersible pump assembly can bedisruptive as it may cause significant downtime. Moreover, replacementof the entire pumping assembly, typically required upon failure of thepump motor, may be costly.

Accordingly, there exists a need for a submersible pump for, e.g.,groundwater sampling, which is readily serviceable by the quick andconvenient removal and replacement of the motor contained therein andfor enhanced flow and cooling characteristics around the motor forextended life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention relate to submersible pumps forwithdrawing water from a water source.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a replaceablemotor module for a groundwater sampling device is disclosed. Thereplaceable motor module includes an inner housing. The inner housing isdefined by a cylindrical shape and has a first alignment pin. ADC-operated electric motor is positionable within the inner housing. TheDC-operated electric motor includes a first set of electrical inputterminals, an output shaft capable of downwardly extending through asealed hole in the inner housing, and a first alignment groove capableof mating with the first alignment pin. An inner housing cap includingelectrical output terminals and a second set of electrical inputterminals is pressibly engageable with the inner housing.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method of assembling a groundwatersampling device is provided. The method includes aligning an alignmentgroove of an inner housing comprising a DC-operated electric motorwithin said inner housing, the motor including a first set of electricalinput terminals and an output shaft downwardly extending through asealed hole in the inner housing, with an alignment pin of an innerhousing cap comprising a second set of electrical input terminals andelectrical output terminals. The method further includes fixedlysecuring the inner housing to the inner housing cap.

In another embodiment, a motor module cap for a replaceable motor modulefor a groundwater sampling device is provided. The motor module capincludes an output cap having a fluid conduit, a first set of lead boresfor receiving electrical leads and a first plurality of holes forreceiving an equal number of fasteners. A compression disc issubstantially annular in shape, and includes a second set of lead boresfor receiving electrical leads and a second plurality of holes foraffixing the compression disk to the output cap, the second set of leadbores having a diameter equal to or less than the diameter of the firstset of lead bores. The compression disc is affixed to the output capsuch that the first set of lead bores is in alignment with the secondset of lead bores and the first plurality of holes is in alignment withthe second plurality of holes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is best understood from the following detailed descriptionwhen read in connection with the accompanying drawings, with likeelements having the same reference numerals. When a plurality of similarelements are present, a single reference numeral may be assigned to theplurality of similar elements with a small letter designation referringto specific elements. When referring to the elements collectively or toa non-specific one or more of the elements, the small letter designationmay be dropped. This emphasizes that according to common practice, thevarious features of the drawings are not drawn to scale unless otherwiseindicated. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features maybe expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawings are thefollowing figures:

FIG. 1 is a simplified pictorial view of the system of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a groundwater sampling device and theassociated above-ground electrical conduit reel apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the power booster/controller of thesystem;

FIG. 4 is a three dimensional exploded view of an exemplary groundwatersampling device in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a three dimensional view of a motor module cap for areplaceable motor module for a groundwater sampling device in accordancewith aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a three dimensional view of a motor module cap for areplaceable motor module for a groundwater sampling device in accordancewith aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are three dimensional perspective views of a contactblock for a groundwater sampling device in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary groundwater samplingdevice in accordance with aspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The various aspects of the present invention relate generally to areplaceable motor module for a groundwater sampling device. Referringnow to the drawings, FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the basiccharacteristics of the inventive system, which includes water samplingdevice 100 in the form of a submersible groundwater pump, an electricalconduit reel apparatus 14 which interconnects a voltagecontroller/booster device 16 to the water sampling device 100, andfurther includes a sample vial 18 into which the groundwater is pumpedout of a pre-established well W through water conduit 22 for collection.

The device 100 is described in more detail below and is positionablewithin the well W formed into the ground below grade level G. The depthof device 100 is controlled primarily by the feeding of the electricalconduit 20 from reel apparatus 14. The system voltage/currentcontroller/booster 16 includes a connection to electrical conduit 20through the attachment of the fitting 32 to the mating fitting 28connected to reel apparatus 14. Electrical contacts 34, which areattachable to the terminals of a low voltage d.c. electrical powersource such as a 12-volt battery, provide the power input intocontroller 16. By the adjustment of the variable voltage adjuster 36,which is monitored by the liquid crystal display 38, voltage output fromcontroller 16 into the motor module contained within device 100 isprovided.

Controller 16 inputs direct current from the 12-volt battery andproduces an output voltage to run device 100 within specifiedparameters. Controller 16 boosts the voltage up to 40 volts and then,using a buck converter, puts out a selected fixed voltage to the pump tooperate device 100 at the selected parameters. Consideration is given tothe effective wire loss to maximize water output or pressure head thatcan be pumped.

When device 100 is activated, groundwater is forced upwardly throughflexible conduit 22, through a disposable valve 24 for dispensing acontrolled volume of groundwater into a VOA vial 18. Alternatively, thesystem 10 may be used to simply evacuate groundwater from apre-established well W, in which case the upper end of conduit 22 isdirected to discharge the groundwater into, e.g., a suitable containeror an above-ground basin. Embodiments of system 10 are currentlyavailable commercially through Proactive Environmental Products ofBradenton, Fla.

Turning next to FIG. 4, an exemplary groundwater sampling device 100 isprovided in more detail. Unless otherwise provided, the components ofdevice 100 are generally formed (e.g., machined and/or molded) ofsubstantially non-corrosive material, such as PVC, polyethylene,polypropylene, ABS, TEFLON® or stainless steel. An outer cylindricalhousing 102 formed of such material and having thin walls and a hollowinterior includes threads for mating with bottom portion 104. The matingof outer housing 102 and bottom portion 104 is made water-tight throughthe incorporation of an o-ring 108, which is seated on bottom portion104. Bottom portion 104 may be formed as a segment sphere (or it may beflat) and includes, at the distal end of bottom portion 104, a filterscreen 106, which includes one or more inlet ports arranged as shown orin other configurations as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art. Filter screen 106 leads to an interior chamber 110 into whichgroundwater is drawn.

Interior chamber 110 is defined by a circumferential ridge 107 on bottomportion 104. Grooves 105 are arranged on the proximal most edge ofcircumferential ridge 107. Circumferential ridge 107 of bottom portion104 abuts the base 114 of the inner housing 112. As will be described ingreater detail below, grooves 105 permit the flow of fluid from theinterior chamber 110 to a clearance gap 125 between inner housing 112and outer housing 102.

Seated within the hollow interior of outer housing 102 is inner housing112 having a cylindrical tubular shape (i.e., having a hollow interiorsimilar to outer housing 102). Base 114 of inner housing 112 includes anopening containing an annular seal 116. Annular seal 116 receives anoutput shaft 118 of a d.c. motor 120 upon placement of d.c. motor 120within inner housing 112. A water impeller 122 is attached to outputshaft 118 and resides, upon assembly, within or above interior chamber110 and above filter screen 106. A clearance gap 125 is establishedbetween the inner diameter of outer housing 102 and the outer diameterof inner housing 112 to define a water passageway or “jacket” throughwhich fluid can upwardly travel towards an output cap 170 containing afluid conduit 172.

The top of motor 120 includes two electrical input terminals 124 whichreceive d.c. current and voltage from controller 16 through electricalconduit 20 as will be described in more detail below. A thin plasticdisc 127 is fastened to motor 120 by electrical input terminals 124 andacts as a quality control device which indicates tampering with motor120. Thin plastic disc 127 also eliminates electrical interferencebetween motor 120 and the output contact blocks 142.

Referring back to FIG. 4, output shaft 118 passes through an annularspacer 126, which is positioned below the bottom of motor 120 and insideof inner housing 112. Annular spacer 126 further contains an opening 130for receiving an alignment pin 128. Turning briefly to FIG. 8, alignmentpin 128 is fixedly attached to base 114 of inner housing 112, passesthrough opening 130 of annular spacer 126, and is received by anaperture 132 of motor 120. Alignment pin 128 establishes the properrotational alignment and immobilization between motor 120 and innerhousing 112. In one embodiment, springs 134 may exert an upward forceupon annular spacer 126 to further stabilize motor 120 and to keepelectrical inputs 124 in contact with the d.c. power source.

An inner housing cap 136 may include one or more o-rings 135 (three areshown in FIG. 4) positioned at the base (i.e. proximal) portion 138 ofinner housing cap 136. Inner housing cap 136, forms a water-tight sealwith inner housing 112 by way of o-rings 135 after base 138 is insertedinto inner housing 112. Preferably, a proper rotational alignment isestablished between inner housing cap 136 and inner housing 112 in orderto align protrusions 137 on inner housing with receiving gaps 141. Inone embodiment, upon the mating of protrusions 137 with receiving gaps141, an inward force applied to protrusions 137, such as provided by apneumatic press, engages protrusions 137 with receiving gaps 141,thereby fixedly attaching inner housing cap 136 to inner housing 112.Alternatively, protrusions 137 can extend radially towards thelongitudinal axis of inner housing 112 such that protrusions 137 snapinto receiving gaps 141.

The proper rotational alignment between inner housing cap 136 and innerhousing 112 may also be established by way of a cap alignment pin 139,which may be located on base portion 138, and an inner housing notch140, located at the top of inner housing 112. In one embodiment, capalignment pin 139 mates with inner housing notch 140. One of ordinaryskill in the art will understand that other arrangements may be used toestablish alignment and connection between inner housing 112 and innerhousing cap 136 (such as, e.g., reversing the above described embodimentby providing a notch on inner housing cap 136 and an alignment pin atthe top of inner housing 112).

Proper rotational alignment permits mechanical and electrical contactbetween electrical input terminals 124 of d.c. motor 120 and two outputcontact blocks 142. Output contact blocks 142 may be seated within slotsformed into a non-conductive accurately configured spacer 144, whichitself is held in position inside of base portion 138 by threadedfasteners 143.

Input contact blocks 146 may be similarly seated into slots formed intoa non-conductive spacer 148 which, as shown in FIG. 4, may be positionedinside the distal portion of inner housing cap 136. Electrical andmechanical contact may be established between input contact blocks 146and output contact blocks 142 by way of an electrical conduit, shown inFIG. 4 as two wire portions 150.

Output cap 170, also formed of machined material, includes outwardlyextending pins 174 which lockably engage into L-shaped slots 152 formedinto inner housing cap 136. Following axial movement together with thepins 174 properly aligned with the longitudinal portions of theseL-shaped slots 152, a simple twisting action seals and locks output cap170 into engagement with the upper end of inner housing cap 136. Uponreading the teachings contained herein, other manners of attachingoutput cap 170 and inner housing cap 136 will become apparent to thosehaving ordinary skill in the art.

Output cap 170 further includes, at a base portion 175, a plurality ofo-rings 177 that allow a water-tight seal between output cap 170 andinner housing cap 136 upon lockably engaging these two components.Within base portion 175, output contact blocks 176 may be seated withinslots formed into a non-conductive accurately configured spacer 178.Configured spacer 178 is held in position inside of base portion 175 bythreaded fasteners 179. Electrical and mechanical contact between outputcontact blocks 176 and input contact blocks 146 is established as aresult of lockably engaging output cap 170 and inner housing cap 136.

At distal portion of output cap 170, a fluid output passage 184 is alongitudinal passage within output cap 170 which is in fluidcommunication with fluid conduit 172. In one embodiment, fluid conduit172 radially extends from the base of fluid output passage 184 (i.e.,fluid flows into fluid conduit 172 in a radial direction towards fluidoutput passage 184, at which point the fluid flow is re-directedlongitudinally upwards towards the distal portion of output cap 170. InFIG. 4, fluid conduit 172 includes a series of radial passageways whichintersect with fluid output passage 184. Turning briefly to FIG. 5, analternative embodiment is shown in which fluid conduit 272 penetratescompletely through output cap 270, forming an “hour glass” shape inwhich the circumference of the fluid passage (on both sides of outputcap 270) is gradually restricted until intersecting with fluid outputpassage 284 at the center point of the hour glass. The hour glassconfiguration, which is incorporated in, e.g., the SS Mega-Typhoon® andthe SS Mini-Monsoon®, available commercially from ProactiveEnvironmental Products of Bradenton, Fla., provides increased headpressure and, accordingly, an increased flow rate. Additionally, thisconfiguration facilitates cleaning this region.

Returning to FIG. 4, also at distal portion of output cap 170, twolongitudinal bores 188 provide access to output contact blocks 176.Electrical conduit 20, shown specifically in this case as electricalleads 186, passes through longitudinal bores 188. Preferably, the endsof electrical leads 186 are stripped of insulation to expose theconductive interior wiring and then affixed (e.g., clamped, soldered, orotherwise mechanically attached) within mating holes formed into outputcontact blocks 176. In one embodiment, additional deterrence of fluidflow into bores 188 is accomplished through the use of one or moreo-rings positioned around electrical leads 186. As shown, aconfiguration having an o-ring 190 above a spacer 192, which is above asecond o-ring 194, is employed for each lead 186. Preferably, o-ring190, spacer 192, and second o-ring 194 surround each lead 186 withinbores 188.

Further ensuring against fluid access to interior electrical componentsvia bores 188, each contact block (i.e. output contact blocks 176, inputcontact blocks 146, and output contact blocks 142) may be machined suchthat only a partial bore is created for receiving the electrical conduitand for receiving fasteners. That is, in this alternative embodiment ofthe invention, no contact block contains a bore which passes completelythrough the contact block. An exemplary contact block incorporatingthese “partial” bores is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. Partial bore 701receives a lead, which is fastened into place via, e.g., spot welding ora threaded fastener which biases the lead at partial bore 703. Partialbore 705 receives a threaded fastener (such as, e.g., threaded fastener143), which secures contact block 700 to the overall structure.

Returning to FIG. 4, an annular compression disc 196 is fastened to thedistal portion of output cap 170 by way of one or more fasteners 195which penetrate through compression disc 196 and into output cap 170.Compression disc 196 further includes two longitudinal bores 198, whichhave a relatively smaller circumference than longitudinal bores 188. Bythis smaller circumference, compression disc 196 compresses o-ring 190,spacer 192, and second o-ring 194 within bores 188. While not intendingto be limited to a single theory, it is believed that this arrangementprovides a uniform distribution of downward pressure upon d.c. motor120, thereby acting as a harmonic balancer by minimizing resonance fromthe operation of d.c. motor 120.

A conduit nipple 199 passes through the annular portion of compressiondisc 196 and into output cap 170, threadably mating with threadscontained therein. An extension conduit in the form of flexible tubing(not shown) may then be mounted on conduit nipple 199, thereby obtainingaccess to fluid output passage 184. In one embodiment, conduit nipple199 comprises a single “mushroom head” configuration in which a singlecircumferential protrusion 201 allows easy removal and fitting of theflexible tubing fluid conduit. Other configurations of conduit nipple199 are within the grasp of the ordinarily skilled artisan, such as,e.g., multiple circumferential protrusions 201 (known as a “barb” tip).

The completed device 100 is assembled, upon locking together output cap170 and inner housing cap 136 (i.e., after inner housing cap 136 isfixedly attached to inner housing 112 as described above), by threadablyengaging threads 180 on output cap 170 with mating threads 103 formedinto the upper end of outer housing 102. One of ordinary skill willappreciate that other means exist to securing output cap 170 to outerhousing 102, including an adaptation of the locking configurationdescribed above for locking output cap 170 to housing cap 136. One ormore o-rings 182 placed on the outer periphery of output cap 170 (e.g.,proximal to threads 180) creates a water-tight seal with outer housing102. By this arrangement, electrical power flows from from controller 16through electrical conduit 20 to output contact blocks 176, inputcontact blocks 146, output contact blocks 142 and, finally, to inputterminals 124, which provides power directly to d.c. motor 120.

Fluid passes through filter screen 106 into inner chamber 110 of bottomportion 104, drawn into the groundwater sampling device by waterimpeller 122 upon rotation of output shaft 118 by motor 120. From theinner chamber 110, fluid passes through grooves 105, advantageouslyincreasing the pressure of the fluid stream, and into a clearance gap125. Clearance gap 125 is established by diameter selection between theinner diameter of outer housing 102 and the outer diameter of innerhousing 112. Clearance gap 125 defines a water passage which upwardlyreceives groundwater in the direction of the arrows towards output cap170 and fluid conduit 172. Water drawn in this fashion will proceedthrough conduit nipple 199 to attached flexible tubing leading to thesurface (not shown).

Simple replacement of d.c. motor 120 may be accomplished by: a)unscrewing output cap 170 from outer housing 102; b) removing impeller122 from output shaft 118; c) unlocking (by twisting, and then pulling)output cap 170 from inner housing cap 136; and d) the disposablesub-assembly includes inner housing cap 136 fixedly attached to innerhousing 112 (which includes, inter alia, the spent d.c. motor 120). Theprocedure is reversed to install the new sub-assembly containing a newd.c. motor 120.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein withreference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to belimited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be madein the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claimsand without departing from the invention.

What is claimed:
 1. A method of assembling a groundwater sampling devicecomprising aligning an alignment groove of an inner housing comprising aDC-operated electric motor within said inner housing, said motorcomprising a first set of electrical input terminals and an output shaftdownwardly extending through a sealed hole in the inner housing, with analignment pin of an inner housing cap comprising a second set ofelectrical input terminals and electrical output terminals; and fixedlysecuring the inner housing to the inner housing cap.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the step of fixedly securing the inner housing to theinner housing cap comprises aligning a protrusion on the inner housingwith an aperture on the inner housing cap; and applying an inward forceto the protrusion such that the protrusion engages the aperture.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein upon aligning the inner housing with theinner housing cap, an electrical circuit is established between thefirst set of electrical input terminals and the second set of electricalinput terminals.
 4. A motor module cap for a replaceable motor modulefor a groundwater sampling device, the motor module cap comprising: anoutput cap comprising a fluid conduit, a first set of lead bores forreceiving electrical leads and a first plurality of holes for receivingan equal number of fasteners; and a compression disc substantiallyannular in shape, comprising a second set of lead bores for receivingelectrical leads and a second plurality of holes for affixing thecompression disk to the output cap, the second set of lead bores havinga diameter equal to or less than the diameter of the first set of leadbores, wherein the compression is disc affixed to the output cap suchthat the first set of lead bores is in alignment with the second set oflead bores and the first plurality of holes is in alignment with thesecond plurality of holes.
 5. The motor module cap of claim 4, furthercomprising at least one of a plurality of spacers or a plurality ofo-rings compressed by the compression disc within the first set of leadbores.
 6. The motor module cap of claim 4, wherein the compression discis affixed to the output cap by fasteners which extend through thesecond plurality of holes and into the first plurality of holes.
 7. Themotor module cap of claim 4, further comprising a conduit nipple,defining a conduit axis projecting through the annular space of thecompression disc, and extending, at least in part, into the annularspace of the compression disc and in fluid communication with the fluidconduit.
 8. The motor module cap of claim 7, wherein the fluid conduitextends for an axial portion along the conduit axis, and then for aradial portion away from the conduit axis and through the output cap. 9.The motor module cap of claim 8, wherein the diameter of the radialportion increases radially away from the conduit axis.
 10. The motormodule cap of claim 9, wherein the radial portion is in the shape of anhourglass.
 11. The motor module cap of claim 4, further comprising a setof leads extending through the second set of lead bores and into thefirst set of lead bores.
 12. The motor module cap of claim 4, the outputcap slidably, then twistably lockable to an inner housing cap by matingengagement of a plurality of uniquely spaced L-shaped slots formed intothe upper end of the inner housing cap and an equal plurality of pinsextending radially outwardly from the output cap.